Corporate Culture ( Part 2 of a mulit-part "cyber series" )

In Part 1 of the Series we touched briefly upon the "things" that corporate culture is not.

What is Corporate Culture?

Corporate Culture is the unspoken and unwritten rules of conduct that reflect a company's belief system.  A company's culture is best described as it's heartbeat; it's mantra.  It's the mood in your office at 9:00 AM on a Monday morning.  It's the vibe that others instinctively feel when they walk through the front door.  Internal culture is about the cultural relics and artifacts posted on the office walls; and those that are not.  It's about the doors on your individual offices, open or closed? 

Because we're dealing with an intangible, the only path to awareness is through the process of questioning.

• Does the owner of the company have the best parking spot?  
• On average, how long do employees stay with your company?
• What type of behavior is rewarded? 
• What type of behavior is celebrated? 
• What type of behavior is punished?  
• Do employees tend to arrive a little early in the morning or do they linger in their cars until the last possible moment? 
• Are there phrases that you commonly use among yourselves?
• Does your office have a tradition of spending additional time with the elderly or with people with "special needs" requiring assistance to understand complicated legal documents? 
• Are visitors in your office offered something to drink? 
• Are there recently released magazines in your reception area? 
• Do you have a reception area in your office?
• What type of music is played overhead? 
• What type of music can be overheard by visitors from distant parts of the office? 
• Is your conference table clean and uncluttered? 
• Is the carpet around the copier littered with discarded staples and paper clips? 
• Does your company appear to be organized, well managed and professional?  
• Does your company appear to be chaotic, hectic, and vulnerable?   
• Does your office appear to be well managed at certain times of the month and out of control at others?

Most importantly:

If you were a consumer entering your office for the first time, what would be your overall impression?  

In Part 3 we'll try to evaluate the significance of your answers to these very important questions.